ID Quantique, a company that uses quantum mechanics to boost data security, has received a $5.6 million investment from venture capital firm QWave Capital.

ID Quantique's services have become far more important since the recent National Security Agency leaks by Edward Snowden that revealed the US government (and ostensibly foreign governments) have the ability to quickly access data from individuals and companies around the world. ID Quantique has commercialized uts Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), a method by which a sender transmits a key encoded with photons to a recipient.

The technology, which has been around for some time, is viewed as the next step in protecting data against would-be hackers and is viewed as more secure than traditional encryption because it provides immediate alert whenever a quantum line has been accessed, allowing companies to turn it off before information is obtained.

Geneva, Switzerland-based ID Quantique announced last week that R&D company Battelle installed QKD in its operation to facilitate more secure communications between its facilities.

According to ID Quantique, its focus is on protecting sensitive data of governments, along with companies in the private sector that want to keep their information away from the prying eyes of foreign governments.

ID Quantique did not say what it will do with the cash infusion, but QWave Capital's investment includes a minority stake in the security firm.

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Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
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